


Cerebral Thunder

by mistermistyeyed



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mystery, Slow Build, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8742424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistermistyeyed/pseuds/mistermistyeyed
Summary: Izaya wakes up in an alleyway with no memory of how he got there. Now being hunted down by a group of unknown men, help comes from an unexpected source; the monster of Ikebukuro. The two enemies will somehow have to put aside their differences in order to survive.





	1. Chapter 1

Izaya woke slowly, eyes opening and squinting against the onslaught of rain. The first thing he became aware of was the cold, hard concrete wall he was propped up against. He turned his head slowly and observed his surroundings, realizing he was in one of Ikebukuro's many alleyways. He knew the city by heart, and even through the fog of his mind, he instantly recognized the nearby street signs and billboards.

Rain pelted down in droves, but Izaya couldn't feel the drops. His skin had long since gone numb from the biting cold. Just how long had he been out there?

Wait... _why_ was he out there?

This sudden question knocked Izaya out of his haze, and he sat up from his slumped position, eyes snapping fully open. Why was he out there? The raven scoured his memory, trying to recall the events that had led to him being left unconscious in an alleyway. He came up with...

Nothing.

Frustratingly, _infuriatingly,_ nothing.

Izaya raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut and trying to think past the continuous pounding of his head. He remembered being in his apartment, bored and annoyed that no one was in the chat rooms to entertain him. He had grabbed his usual jacket and decided to search Shinjuku for something to amuse him. The last thing he could recall was locking the door behind him as he left. After that, it was a blank.

Izaya could feel his breathing pick up and he tried to quell his rising panic in vain. He had left his apartment early in the morning. It was hard to tell when the sky was darkened with rain clouds, but it was obviously well past evening. That meant there were _hours_ of his life that he couldn't remember. He was _Izaya Orihara,_ he was supposed to know everything about peoples' lives, but he can't even remember the last few hours of his _own_ life. That thought sparked the first tendrils of genuine fear he had felt in almost a decade.

Izaya tried to think through his increasing anxiety and decided his first move should be to get back to his apartment. There, he could try to sort this mess out and at least be out of this goddamn rain.

Face set in determination, Izaya forced himself up off the ground. He head spun at the sudden movement, and his left leg gave out from under him as a sudden sharp pain shot through his ankle. He slumped against the wall, using all of his strength to simply stay standing. He spent a few minutes breathing slowly until the ringing in his ears finally subsided and his head no longer swam in dizziness.

Izaya took stock of his situation. His entire body was numb from the cold, so he couldn't decipher any injuries other than a general dull ache. Good thing for small mercies. Izaya knew from the way he could only manage shallow breaths that one or more of his ribs must be broken, and that was not a pain he wanted to deal with all the way back to Shinjuku. It was going to suck when he got feeling back.

He pushed off of the wall, realizing after the initial shock of pain that his left ankle could support him well enough to make it home, though not without a limp. Izaya slowly forced his stiff legs to move, limping heavily out of the alleyway. His jacket was gone, so he was left in only his black t-shirt. He hugged himself in a vain attempt to conserve some warmth in the biting rain.

Not even a moment after he emerged from the alleyway did he hear the familiar roar of his name.

"Izaya!" came the infuriated yell from down the street.

Izaya sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, letting his arms drop back to his sides. That brute just had the _worst_ timing. Not only was there no way he could outrun him in his condition, he was also missing his favorite switchblade. Damn.

He schooled his features into his usual smirk and turned towards Shizuo. "Ah, Shizu-chan! How great to see you."

Shizuo's glare intensified. "What the hell are you doing in Ikebukuro, goddamn flea?" he yelled over the din of the rain, looking around for a nearby projectile to throw.

Izaya's smile dropped a bit.

' _If only I fucking knew'_

Instead, Izaya replied, "I'm just enjoying this weather!"

Shizuo huffed in frustration when he realized there wasn't anything nearby that he could launch at the raven. He began stalking down the sidewalk towards him. "This weather is shit, stupid flea," he growled dangerously.

Izaya took a step backward, barely holding back a wince as his ankle threatened to give out again. "Oh, my dear protozoan, are you really that dense? I didn't say that the weather was _nice_. Something horrible can be enjoyed. For example, I find your monstrous tendencies very amusing to watch. In fact, you..."

Izaya trailed off as he saw a black van coming down the road towards them, driving slowly. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out why the van looked so goddamn _familiar,_ but nothing came to mind. However, there was no denying the icy dread that settled in his bones when he saw that car, the adrenaline that flooded his system as every instinct he had screamed at him to _run._

He glanced at Shizuo, who was giving him a weird look. "Oi, what the hell's your problem?!"

Izaya ignored him, looking back at the van that was steadily inching closer. His heart pounded, blood rushing loudly in his ears. His panic was totally illogical, right? But Izaya's instincts had saved him many times, and it didn't seem wise to start ignoring them now. The van was exuding _danger_ , and Izaya decided that he wouldn't stick around to ponder the reason behind this.

Without another word to Shizuo, the raven turned and ran in the opposite direction of the van. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, masking any previous pain or weariness with the sheer need to _get away_. He pushed his legs as fast as they could go, squinting as rain stung his eyes.

"The fuck, flea?!" he heard Shizuo shout behind him, before his pounding footsteps indicated that he was chasing after him. Izaya didn't really care, though. His main concern was the sound of squealing tires on wet pavement as the black van floored it. The roar of the engine grew louder as the van gained speed and steadily approached the running pair.

 Izaya took a sharp turn down the next alleyway, mentally mapping an escape route to shake the van off his tail. He sprinted through the long alley until he reached the parallel street, not slowing his pace as he approached the road. However, he didn't anticipate how quickly the van would be able to maneuver, and he was already in the middle of the street when he realized the van had caught up and was coming at him at full speed.

With barely time to think, Izaya threw himself forward, diving to the side of the road headfirst in a desperate attempt to evade the van. He almost made it, but the van managed to clip his right ankle as he dodged, sending a white hot flash of pain up his leg and sending him flying sideways. He hit the asphalt hard, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. He thought he heard Shizuo yell something over the rain, but it was drowned out by the sound of the van skidding to a stop at the end of the road.

Izaya pushed himself up and tried to continue his frantic escape. However, as soon as he stood, his right ankle buckled, sending him sprawling back down to the wet pavement. He could swear he had felt the bones in his ankle shift as he had stood, and his world was whited out in pain for a moment. He heard the van's tires screeching as it accelerated towards him again. Izaya's eyes widened as he realized that this was it. No amount of adrenaline would allow him to run on a broken ankle.

The van was approaching at full speed, aimed right for where he was lying on the side of the road. Suddenly, just as Izaya was accepting his fate, he was scooped up by a pair of strong arms, being held bridal style. Izaya's heart stopped as the car sped past them, missing by mere inches. He looked up at Shizuo in utter confusion, but he didn't have time to say anything before Shizuo began running with him in his arms. Izaya braced his arms tightly around Shizuo's neck as he was jostled violently by the brute's quick pace.

The sound of the van's engine revving could be heard over the rain, and it was quickly approaching again. Even Shizuo couldn't outrun a car, especially carrying Izaya.

"Turn at this next alley!" Izaya yelled.

Shizuo's eyes narrowed. "That didn't work out so well for you last time, did it?!" he yelled back angrily.

"Just, trust me!" Izaya implored, pulse racing as he heard the sound of the van's engine get steadily louder.

Shizuo growled but did as the raven said, taking a sharp turn at the next alley.

"Go through this door on the right!" Izaya yelled.

Surprisingly, Shizuo complied without an angry retort, and he managed to open the steel door without ripping it off of its hinges. He shut the door quickly behind them, locking it immediately. Shizuo stood with Izaya in his arms, the only sound in the room being their harsh breathing and the faint pattering of rain that could be heard from outside.

"Wha-" Shizuo started to question, before Izaya slapped a hand over his mouth. Shizuo's eyes narrowed, but Izaya gave him a sincere look instead of his usual teasing smirk, and that was enough surprise to shut the brute up.

After a tense minute or two, there was the sound of two sets of pounding footsteps running by outside. "Where the fuck are they?" a gruff voice spat angrily. Izaya stopped breathing, hoping that they wouldn't decide to check this room.

His partner sighed heavily. "They must have slipped by us on the street somehow. Come on, let's go keep looking. They couldn't have gotten far."

The footsteps eventually faded away, but it took another minute or two for Izaya to feel safe letting out the breath he had been holding. With the immediate danger gone, Izaya became fully aware of his exhaustion and the pain wracking his body. He also became fully aware of the fact that Shizuo was still holding him and that he had the material of the brute's shirt fisted tightly in his hands.

Izaya quickly let go as if he had been burned. Shizuo snorted, shaking his head before setting Izaya down on the floor. The room was average-sized with a single light switch by the door. Shizuo flipped it on and observed their surroundings.

"Where the hell are we?" he asked.

Izaya sighed. "I used to run a gambling ring in here before it got too boring. Gambling addicts are way too predictable." Izaya slowly pushed himself up, using the wall as support and putting all of his weight on his left ankle. His ribs were screaming, poking into his lungs with every deep breath he tried to take. His body was still too numb for him to process any other injuries, and he was shivering violently. He clenched his jaw to stop his teeth from chattering. He needed to get back to Shinjuku. "Well, Shizu-chan, it's been fun, but I have more important things to attend to."

Shizuo narrowed his eyes. "You aren't seriously trying to brush this off? How stupid do you think I am? And who the hell were those guys?"

 "I've told you many times, brute. I think you are _extremely_ stupid," Izaya purred with a smirk. He knew that if he got Shizuo mad enough, he would derail his line of questioning.

Shizuo's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to kill you, fucking flea," he growled, hands clenching into fists.

Izaya's smirk widened. "You say that, but it would be much more convincing if you hadn't just saved my life."

Shizuo paused for a moment before he scoffed. "Only because _I'm_ going to be the one that kills you."

Izaya tried to respond, but the pounding in his head was steadily increasing, and it felt like someone was stabbing him in the temple. The room was spinning, and his vision was beginning to blur. He thought he heard Shizuo say something, but his words were muffled, as if Izaya were underwater. The last thing he felt before awareness left him altogether was a pair of strong arms stopping his descent to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Izaya became aware of was that he was in a soft bed instead of a cold alleyway. Thankfully, the sharp pain in his head had subsided, though his body still throbbed painfully, particularly his right ankle. He stilled and tried to keep his breathing steady, feigning sleep until he could gain a better grasp on the situation.

"Shizuo, please," he heard a voice say, and he quickly identified the speaker as Shinra. "I only have, like, ten cups left. Can you please stop crushing them?"

Shizuo huffed. "I don't see why I can't just leave. Or at least just clobber anyone who comes after me."

Shinra sighed as if they'd gone over this multiple times, and Izaya wouldn't doubt that they actually had. "Listen, at least wait until he wakes up so we can find out what's going on. What if it's the Awakusu or something?"

Izaya heard a chair screech as if someone abruptly stood up. "Shizuo, wait!" Shinra babbled desperately. "Celty will kill me if I let you run into this blind and get hurt. Would you really be okay with being the cause of my murder?"

Shizuo snorted. "Hm, I'm strangely fine with that."

Izaya began to stir, deciding that it was much more fun to observe his humans when he could actually see their expressions.

"Shizuo, wait, he's waking up."

Izaya opened his eyes slowly, hissing in pain at the sudden onslaught of light. He had to blink a few times to bring the blurry room into focus. The first thing he saw was Shinra's uncharacteristically serious face only inches from his own. He flinched back, immediately regretting the action when it awoke the ache in his ribs. "Geez, Shinra, mind backing up a bit?"

Shinra obliged, but the grim look didn't leave his face, and it was seriously starting to piss Izaya off. If there was one thing Izaya hated, it was when his precious humans didn't react the way they should. "Izaya, what happened?" Shinra asked in a voice devoid of all amusement.

"Ah, well, Shinra, it seems that even monsters can have a heart. Did Shizu-chan tell you how he saved my life?" Izaya purred, looking around Shinra to give Shizuo a smirk. "It was _incredibly_ heroic. Who knew that all of those taunts about killing me were a lie? It's truly a development that even _I_ didn't anticipate."

Shizuo took a step closer, hands clenching into fists. "Do you really want to push your luck, you fucking flea?"

Izaya's smirk widened, intending to further derail this interrogation, until Shinra stepped in between them, eyes laser focused on Izaya's face. How _irritating._ "Izaya, what happened  _before_ Shizuo found you?"

Izaya scoffed. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I really must go," he said, barely holding back a groan as he pushed himself up. Pain laced up his back and down his ribs, and it took all of his self-control to keep himself from flopping back down. "I have a client that leaves town on the 15th," he lied easily, "so, story time will just have to wait."

He looked up, surprised to see both Shizuo and Shinra looking at him in confusion. "... your client's leaving on the 15th?" Shinra eventually asked.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Yes, they are, so I would appreciate it if I could meet with them before they leave tomorrow."

Shizuo's brow furrowed in confusion, and his head tilted slightly to the side. "Today's the 30th, stupid flea."

 The world seemed to freeze, as if time had simply ceased. It was... the 30th? Izaya felt his perfectly crafted mask slipping. He thought the gap in his memory had only spanned a few hours, not _two weeks_. What had happened? What was going on? Who had done this?

Questions swirled in his mind, and he found he had no answers, increasing his encroaching panic tenfold. He _always_ had the answers, he always knew everything, but the last two weeks of his own life were a complete blank. He felt his tenuous grasp on control slipping. He blinked rapidly, trying desperately to not lose his composure in front of his greatest enemy. As he tried to calm himself, he realized Shinra was saying something.

"What happened? You have three broken ribs, a concussion, a broken ankle, and stitching up your mess of a back took almost two hours. I'm not stupid, Izaya. I am the _mafia's_ doctor, after all. I can recognize the signs. The bruises and cuts around your wrists and ankles- those are from restraints. The methodical slashes on your back? I know torture when I see it. And this... this was _torture._ " 

Izaya couldn't comprehend what Shinra was saying. He was... _tortured?_ That couldn't be right. He was Izaya Orihara, no one could ever get the drop on him. He was only captured if he _wanted_ to be. Torture? No, that couldn't be true. He glanced up, eager to see what Shizuo's reaction to Shinra's words would be, only to be filled with anger.

Shizuo was looking down on him with... _pity_. Izaya couldn't stand being pitied, especially by that monster. Shizuo's eyes traveled from Izaya's fury filled face down to his hands. Izaya followed his gaze and noticed that his hands were trembling. He quickly hid them under the blanket, insisting to himself that they were shaking out of anger, nothing more.

"While I respect your professional opinion, _Doctor_ _Kishitani_ , you don't know what you're talking about," Izaya said, cursing himself for the small tremble in his voice that had _no reason_ for being there. He narrowed his eyes, pissed off at the whole situation. His own body was betraying him, and no one was acting the way they should. It was _infuriating._

He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring how the room swam. He needed to get back to his apartment, he needed to regain control, _this situation was out of his control_.

 "Izaya!" Shinra squeaked. "Just because I was nice enough to give you a walking cast doesn't mean you can walk around yet! What about whoever did this to you? Who was it? Why'd they do it? What if they come after you again?"

Izaya squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't have the answers, he _always_ had the answers, _this situation was out of his control_. "Don't worry, my annoying friend. I just need to get back to my apartment and straighten this out, no need to spaz out," he chided in such an even tone he surprised even himself.

Shinra pouted, knowing that if Izaya didn't want to do something, there was no changing his mind. The doctor seemed to debate with himself for a few moments before letting out a defeated sigh. "...fine. But you're coming back in a few days so I can check up on your condition, no objections! Plus, there's no way you'll make it to your apartment by yourself. My beautiful Celty's off on a job right now though..."

"I'll take the flea home," Shizuo grunted, surprising the other two, who forgot he was even there.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Aw, is Shizu-chan worried about me? Or will he just try to finish the job those men started? Oh, Shinra, you can't subject your old friend to such an unpredictable monster in his time of need, can you? I always thought you were the most moral out of our odd little trio."

Shinra's face broke out into a strained smile. "You're calling me moral? Your concussion must be worse than I thought. Shizuo, just make sure you actually take him home, okay?"

* * *

"Shizu-chan, do you really have to hold me like your damsel in distress?" Izaya whined, tugging on Shizuo's hair to annoy him.

Shizuo slapped his hand away. "When I held you on my back or over my shoulder it put pressure on your ribs," he growled.

Izaya beamed. "And you don't want me to be in pain? How sweet of you!"

Shizuo snorted. "No, I just don't want to have to listen to the annoying wheezing sound you made."

Izaya pouted. "How mean, Shizu-chan! And you claim you're not a monster."

Shizuo loosened his arms, letting Izaya drop a foot before catching him again. Izaya let out an undignified squeak of alarm when he almost fell, earning a bark of laughter from Shizuo. "It's fun wiping that smirk off of your face, flea," he grinned maliciously.

Izaya turned his face away. "I knew you were heartless. But, even so, some things just don't add up." Izaya looked up Shizuo, making his expression as innocent as possible. "Why would a monster like you be helping me?"

Izaya wanted to ask something that would make Shizuo angry, but he was also genuinely curious. Again, Shizuo defied his expectations. Instead of spouting off an angry excuse, Shizuo was silent for a few moments. They reached Izaya's building, and it wasn't until they had entered the elevator that Shizuo answered his question.

"There's no doubt that you're a shitty person. You mess with people's lives for your own sick entertainment," Shizuo grunted. Izaya almost retorted, but he held back, intrigued to see where the monster was going with this. "But... torturing someone... that's a level that even _you_ wouldn't stoop to."

Izaya was silent. Too many emotions warred inside of him- anger, denial, amusement, even happiness. He wanted to deny that he had been tortured, because he was Izaya Orihara, he was _always_ in control, but he couldn't get the words out. Thankfully, they reached his floor, and he was saved from answering.

Shizuo opened the door, and Izaya frowned. The last memory he had was locking his door as he had left. Why was it unlocked?

Shizuo stepped in, looking around with a low whistle. "An asshole like you definitely doesn't deserve a place like this," he scoffed.

Izaya tried to come up with a snarky retort, but he was distracted. Why was his door unlocked? He observed his apartment, and his eyes landed on a suitcase in his living room that _definitely_ hadn't been there when he left. He spotted a wire trailing off of the suitcase. His eyes traced it from his living room to the front door, where it was discreetly attached to the doorknob. His eyes widened.

"Shizuo!" he exclaimed in a panic.

Shizuo looked down at him, shocked out of whatever bullshit he was saying by Izaya's urgent tone and use of his actual name. "What?"

Izaya punched him in the chest, eyes locked on the suitcase. "A bomb, Shizuo, we have to get out, quick-"

Shizuo still looked confused, but Izaya's urgent tone deterred him from questioning anything. He turned and dove back out of the doorway. The two slammed into the hallway, and Shizuo stood up, sprinting down the corridor with Izaya still in his arms. 

Just as they reached the end of the hallway, Izaya's senses were overwhelmed by a deafening explosion.


	3. Chapter 3

Hearing an explosion from fifteen feet away while having a concussion was akin to torture. The deafening sound made Izaya's head feel like it was splitting in two, and all he could do was scrunch his eyes shut and try not to pass out from the sudden onslaught of pain. After a few minutes, Izaya's head reverted back to only an incessant pounding instead of shooting pain, and his ears stopped ringing.

He opened his eyes, finally able to wonder why he wasn't engulfed in flame. He squinted through the haze of smoke, registering that he was on the floor of the elevator. Shizuo must've gotten them in there, manhandling the doors shut behind them. This kept out the flames, but the smoke snaked through the cracks of the metal door. Shizuo was already recovered from the shock and sound of the blast, being the freak of nature he is, and he was walking around the small confines of the elevator, trying to find a way out of their situation.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to take the elevator during a fire?" Izaya spat, slightly panicking as the room was steadily heating up, thinking about how they were effectively in a huge oven.

Shizuo turned around, frowning irritably. "Feel free to go back out there," he countered, gesturing to the metal doors that were slightly tinged red, super-heated by the flames.

Izaya scowled and pushed himself up, adrenaline masking any further pain. "Any more bright ideas, then, protozoan?"

Shizuo's only answer was spinning around to slam on the elevator's buttons with unnecessary force. Izaya rolled his eyes when the elevator didn't budge, because _duh_. He sighed and looked up at the maintenance hatch on the ceiling that led to the elevator shaft. It was their only shot.

"Shizu-chan, see that hatch up there? Open it."

Shizuo gave him a confused look, but obliged wordlessly. The hatch was chained shut, but with one swift hit from Shizuo, it popped open easily. "What now, flea?"

Izaya looked through the hatch at the elevator's thick metal cable and sighed. "We're going to go one floor up and hope the fire hasn't made it to the other stairway yet."

Shizuo nodded, following Izaya's gaze. "We'll climb the cord?"

"Well, we're certainly not going to fly," he said sarcastically, flinching when there was a loud crash from outside the elevator. Not needing any further prompting, Shizuo pulled himself up into the elevator shaft, reaching a hand down for Izaya.

Izaya reluctantly grabbed his hand, wincing as he was roughly wrenched up into the elevator shaft. Once the pair were both up there, Shizuo turned his back to Izaya and bent down slightly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Izaya asked.

Shizuo looked over his shoulder, frowning. "Get on my back. The building is on fire, fucking flea. It's way faster this way. So, swallow your damn pride and just get on."

Izaya hated listening to Shizuo, but the crashing sounds were growing more frequent as the fire devoured the building, and Izaya hated burning to death a lot more. So, avoiding Shizuo's eyes, he climbed onto the taller man's back, linking his arms tightly around his neck. Izaya instinctively thought about how easy it would be to strangle Shizuo from this position, but he still needed the monster's help to get out of the building, so he restrained himself.

As soon as Izaya was secure, Shizuo jumped up and grabbed the cable, climbing up to the next floor in seconds. Once they reached the next door, Shizuo gripped the cable with one hand while wrenching the metal doors open with the other. Izaya hated Shizuo's unnatural strength, but in that moment, he was profoundly grateful for it. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud.

Shizuo swung them off the cord, landing on the upper floor. Izaya moved to slide off Shizuo's back, but Shizuo hooked his arms under Izaya's legs, stopping his descent. Izaya opened his mouth to complain, but all that came out were hacking coughs. On this floor, the smoke was much thicker, and it was getting hard to breathe. Shizuo jogged down the hallway, jumping over the parts of the floor that had already collapsed.

They quickly reached the stairway, and Izaya was relieved. The black smoke was making his lungs burn, and breaths were getting harder to pull in. Shizuo seemed unaffected so far, and Izaya once again found himself frustratingly appreciative of Shizuo's monstrous capabilities.

Shizuo sprinted down the stairs. Thankfully, though the flames had begun licking through the doorway to the staircase, they had yet to block the path. Shizuo easily pushed his way through the crowd of other residents making their way down the staircase, and Izaya had a slightly delirious mental image of riding an angry bull through a crowd.

Finally, they reached the lobby. Outside, there was a large crowd gathering in front of the building to gawk at the spectacle, the sound of incoming sirens blaring in the distance. Izaya couldn't even find it in him to be embarrassed that half of Shinjuku was witnessing him receive a piggy back ride from Shizuo Heiwajima. He was too consumed by the relief that he could breathe fresh air again.

Shizuo went straight to a nearby alleyway to avoid the prying eyes. Izaya glanced at his apartment building as they went. People were pouring out of the doors, and he hoped no one was hurt. His apartment was the only one on his floor, due to how large it was, so it was unlikely anyone else was caught in the initial blast.

The flames lit up the darkening sky in a foreboding orange. His heart plummeted when he pictured all of his numerous files turning to ash. So much work, so much information- gone. Izaya scowled, vowing that he'd make whoever did this suffer the consequences.

When they reached the alleyway, Shizuo finally let Izaya go. Izaya leaned against the concrete wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the hard ground, still wheezing from the smoke inhalation. Shizuo sat down next to him with a heavy sigh.

 "Izaya, what the actual fuck was that about?"

Izaya sighed, wondering the same exact thing. "It was probably the same people that were after me in that van."

Shizuo scowled. "So what are we going to do now?"

Izaya turned towards Shizuo, giving him an incredulous look. "We? What do you mean _we_? Shizu-chan, I am sorry to inform you that we aren't a team of any sort. You fulfilled your promise to Shinra, you took me home, so you may go back to your own little life now while I handle this."

Shizuo looked at him like he was an idiot. "First of all, I don't think you can 'handle this.' If it wasn't for me, those guys woulda killed you two times over. I'm a part of this now, so get used to it. Even if it means that I have to deal with you, I want to find these guys. They torture people and set off bombs in busy apartment buildings; I can't wait to put my fist through their bastard faces."

Izaya thought for a moment, weighing his options. While it would be extremely helpful to have Shizuo on his side, it also made everything more difficult. Izaya was getting sick of having to keep up a cocky façade, as if his life wasn't falling apart while he had no clue how to stop it. Shizuo would want answers that Izaya didn't have. But, he truly didn't know what he would do after he left this alley, and he wouldn't actually be able to force Shizuo to leave. Might as well take advantage of his help.

Izaya let a smirk spread over his face. "You know, as someone who supposedly wants me dead, you sure have been saving my life a lot. Doesn't that strike you as odd? Could it be that you don't hate me after all?"

Shizuo looked away. "Shut up, flea. You're the only one who can find these guys, so I can't just leave you in a burning building, no matter how much I want to."

Izaya cocked his head to the side, intrigued. "Hm, is that so? As soon as we find these guys, things will go back to normal?"

The other man snorted. "Duh, you're a filthy fucking flea, what else would happen?"

Izaya pouted. "Aw, but Shizu-chan, I thought we could bond. Maybe put aside our differences and find a common ground."

Shizuo actually laughed out loud. "Good one. But, we should probably get going before the cops find us and question you," he said, gesturing to the red and blue flashing lights at the end of the alley. "A shady guy like you must have more than one apartment, right?"

"I will choose to ignore the 'shady guy' part because I am more mature than you. And yes, I do have a couple of apartments, but they might know about those ones too. I don't really want to find out what else they might have waiting for us."

Shizuo thought for a moment before sighing. "I guess we can go to my apartment. But, you better not get your shitty flea stench everywhere."

Izaya put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "You have to at least buy me dinner before we go back to your place."

Shizuo hit him upside the head, and Izaya yelped as the not-so-gentle slap made his head's throbbing increase tenfold. "Shizu-chan, you're so mean, hitting someone who's injured."

"You deserved it," Shizuo spat, pushing himself off the ground. He grabbed Izaya's arm and hauled him up, sweeping an arm under his knees to hold him bridal style.

Izaya scoffed, punching Shizuo in the chest. "Put me down, you stupid protozoan. Shinra gave me a _walking_ cast. In case you can't figure it out, that means I can _walk_."

Shizuo ignored him and began walking out of the alleyway. "If you walked it would take twice as long. Plus, this annoys you more."

* * *

 Shizuo opened his apartment door and immediately tossed Izaya on the nearby couch. "I'm laying down some ground rules. Don't snoop around, don't touch anything, and don't piss me off."

Izaya sat up, glancing around the small living room curiously. "Shizu-chan, you wound me! So harsh in my time of need- you are by far the worst knight in shining armor in history."

Shizuo smirked at him. "If I'm your knight in shining armor, that makes you the damsel in distress."

Izaya shook his head, tsking. "You read too many fairytales, Shizu-chan. A knight's job is to protect his king."

Shizuo scoffed. "Like hell you're my king. Do you ever shut up?"

  _"Do you ever shut up?" a harsh voice spat, followed by a hard kick to his ribs._

_Izaya sputtered as the air was forced out his lungs. It took him a few moments of ragged breathing before he was able to answer. "I'm sorry, I thought the point of all this was that you were trying to get me to talk?" he rasped._

_That awarded him another kick in the ribs that had him curling into himself, groaning in pain._

_"Get him up," a new voice cut in. "Obviously, these methods aren't working."_

_Rough hands grabbed his arms, and Izaya kicked blindly in a panic. His foot slammed into one of the men, causing them to drop him back down to the cement._

_"Little shit," the man grunted. That was the last thing he was aware of before a boot connected with his skull, causing his world to go black._

 Shizuo threw a blanket at his face, bringing him back to reality. "Lemme make this clear- I still hate you. I'm just dealing with a shitty guy to catch some even shittier guys, alright?"

Izaya couldn't speak for a moment, and he scrambled to cover how freaked out he was. "Understood, Shizu-chan. This is only a temporary truce, a time out; neither of us are waving the white flag. We're coming together to fight a common enemy. Like Stalin and Roosevelt in World War Two. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the saying goes. If the Soviets and Americans could put aside their difference, so can we," he spouted with flourish, not even totally sure of what he was going on about at that point.

Shizuo just frowned at him, giving him a skeptical look. "I wish you could act like normal person for once," he muttered, stalking out of the room.

Izaya let out a long sigh, dropping his head into his hands. Though it was reassuring that his memory loss didn't seem permanent, he was still wary to actually know what had happened in those two weeks. If he was to believe what Shinra had said, maybe it was better if he didn't remember.

Izaya sank down on the couch, spreading out the blanket and closing his eyes. Hopefully, in the morning, he could come up with some sort of a plan to fix this mess. Whatever this _mess_ even _was_.


End file.
